2nd lt. to be stationed in South Korea, her parents' native home

By Mark Payne

Staff writer

Second Lt. Elisa Lee, ironically, will find her first duty station in the country from which her parents once immigrated from: South Korea.

 Lee’s parents left the country when they were in high school. She was born in the United States and resides in Frederick, Md.

Currently, Lee is a squad tactical officer with Co. B 1/46th Inf. Her first assignment will be along the border of North Korea, working in medical services.

Second Lt. Elisa Lee is a squad tactical officer with Co. B1/46th Inf. Photo by Chen Wang

 “I did want to go back. It was actually my first choice,” Lee said of being stationed in Korea.

She wants to go back and experience her culture from a different standpoint, she said.

“Not just a family vacation, but for myself,” she said.

Lee desires to use her Army experience to travel, another reason she wants to go to Korea.

Lee commissioned from John Hopkins University, where she entered the new Cadet orientation program a week before classes. She said she went through the program, liked it, so she kept going.

“I went through my freshman year, got a three-year scholarship and I contracted in my sophomore year,” she said.

Lee had no military background going in and learned as she went along. She said ROTC could be tough at times, particularly balancing schoolwork and ROTC.

The other tough thing was the Leader Development and Assessment Course between her junior and senior year. She said it involved a lot of paying attention to details.

Over the past year, Lee has been on educational delay while doing graduate work, which means she wasn’t doing anything military-related.

“It was kind of sad because you miss the camaraderie,” she said. “It’s one of the highlights.”

The others: “Studying you can only do so much with books and a library,” Lee said. “Here you are challenged mentally and physically.”

Lee is enjoying her time at LTC because she knows ROTC and is successful in it.

“She is well-spoken … and she is a good motivator,” said Sgt.1st Class Donald Salladay, a Co. B drill sergeant. “She will do well.”

Although Lee likes her current role, she won’t be doing it long. She attends the basic officer leadership course after LTC.

“This is my transition into the real Army,” she said.